1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparel and, more particularly, to ornamentation that can be placed thereon for purposes of aesthetics and/or to convey information.
2. Background Art
Many different apparel articles, such as headwear, shirts, jackets, purses, etc. have ornamentation thereon that enhances the appearance thereof and/or conveys information, such as the identity of: a) a person, place, or thing; b) an event; c) competitors in an event, etc. For purposes of explanation herein, the focus will be on ornamentation applied to headwear, with it being understood that the ornamentation can be similarly applied to any other apparel article.
Headwear, and more specifically baseball-style caps, to include baseball caps, visors, etc., is commonly adorned by applications to external surfaces of a crown, which accommodates a wearer's head. Numerous different techniques are utilized to apply this ornamentation.
As one example, thread may be embroidered directly against the crown. Since it is common to make the basic headwear piece before the application of ornamentation, this procedure has a number of drawbacks. First of all, the embroidery process is carried out on a curved surface. This introduces problems both in terms of handling the headwear piece during the embroidery operations and aligning the stitching material with the curved surface. Improper coordination between the headwear piece and embroidery machinery may produce a less than desired quality of product.
As an alternative to directly embroidering on the crown, or an associated brim/bill, it is known to pre-form patches in a flattened state and thereafter apply the same to the headwear piece. A typical patch may consist of a substrate layer to which thread is applied through weaving or embroidery operations.
Modern techniques for producing woven labels permit relatively fine and intricate detail to be integrated into the patch. However, inherently, the processes to produce patches through weaving are more time consuming, and, thus more expensive than those used to embroider. Consequently, woven patches are generally made relatively small in size for use on mass-produced headwear. While woven patches are desirable from an aesthetic standpoint, they are often opted away from in favor of embroidered patches which, in the same price range, can be made larger to be more dominant and eye catching. The above problems are common to weaving operations that are performed directly upon the crown as well as those that employ a separate substrate layer to produce a patch that is subsequently applied to the headwear.
Consequently, the industry has maintained different categories of product. Headwear with ornamentation applied through weaving operations has generally been in the high-end category and such that the ornamentation is more discrete in appearance. Ornamentation applied through conventional embroidery procedures offers more opportunity to be applied over a substantial areal extent, while maintaining cost at a relatively low level. The latter result is achieved at the expense of clarity, definition, and detail of the subject matter formed on the headwear, either directly or through separately applied patches.
Those in the headwear industry compete often based on the quality of the ornamentation. Designers must balance the quality of the ornamentation versus the price that the consumer is willing to pay for the associated products.